barren

[ bar-uhn ]

adjective

1. not producing or incapable of producing offspring; sterile:

   a barren woman.

   Synonyms: unprolific, childless, infertile

   Antonyms: fertile

2. unproductive; unfruitful:

   barren land.

   Synonyms: waste, infertile

   Antonyms: fertile

3. without capacity to interest or attract:

   a barren period in American architecture.

   Antonyms: fertile

4. mentally unproductive; dull; stupid.

   Antonyms: fertile

5. not producing results; fruitless:

   a barren effort.

   Synonyms: ineffective, ineffectual

   Antonyms: fertile

6. destitute; bereft; lacking (usually followed by of ):

   barren of tender feelings.

   Antonyms: fertile

noun

1. Usually barrens. level or slightly rolling land, usually with a sandy soil and few trees, and relatively infertile.

barren

/ ˈbærən /

adjective

1. incapable of producing offspring, seed, or fruit; sterile

   a barren tree

2. unable to support the growth of crops, etc; unproductive; bare

   barren land

3. lacking in stimulation or ideas; dull

   a rather barren play

4. not producing worthwhile results; unprofitable

   a barren period in a writer's life

5. foll by of totally lacking (in); devoid (of)

   his speech was barren of wit

6. (of rock strata) having no fossils

Derived Forms

• ˈbarrenness, noun
• ˈbarrenly, adverb

Other Words From

• barren·ly adverb
• barren·ness noun
• un·barren adjective
• un·barren·ly adverb
• un·barren·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of barren¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English barayn(e), bareyn(e), from Anglo-French barai(gn)e, Old French brahaigne ( French bréhaigne “sterile”), akin to Spanish breña “scrubby, uncultivated ground,” Upper Italian barena “land along a lagoon covered by high water,” all of disputed ultimate origin; perhaps from Celtic (compare Irish branar, Welsh braenar “fallow land”); alternatively, perhaps from a Germanic source akin to Old English bær, Old High German bar ( bare ¹( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of barren¹

C13: from Old French brahain , of uncertain origin

Synonym Study

See bare ¹.

Example Sentences

Over the years, the song's lyrics have been criticised for their patronising portrayal of Africa as a barren land that needed rescuing by Western intervention.

From BBC

“When I visit this place I remember my childhood memories, the time I spent here. But the barren places, they hurt me, they make me feel sad.”

From BBC

Nevertheless, the old London Bridge made it to a fledgling desert city Robert started building after spotting Lake Havasu itself on the otherwise barren landscape.

From BBC

The first colonists would encounter a barren landscape without water or breathable atmosphere, bathed in deadly solar and galactic radiation from which Earthbound humans are protected by our planet’s atmosphere and magnetic field.

From Los Angeles Times

They’re both at a loss as to how to make things right in their lives, and in a world increasingly barren of understanding and farther from whatever name one has for divine goodness.

From Salon

Related Words

• arid
• desolate
• empty
• impoverished
• infertile
• parched
• sterile